LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XVII, Issue 71, 27 March 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

H.A.C.B.S.— The quarterly meeting of the local H.A.C.B.S. lodge will be held this evening. The business is stated to be payment of contributions and general.

Sale at Mount Phjasant.— At Mount Pleasant to-morrow Messrs Purkiss and Nosworthy will sell a quantity of tools, machinery, and other mechanical appliances m the assigned estate of J. Hornby. The sale is to commence at noon. Those .who like a pleasant drive will have an opportunity of doing so at a very reasonable fare by taking a place m Mr W. Ching's express, whiph will leave Market Place at 9 a.m., returning immediately after tbe sale

Assemj«,y.— Wo are desired to Estate that the Quadrille Assemblies at the Literary Institute will open this evening.

Local Option.— On Saturday next the first poll m the .Province -under the local option clauses of the new Licensing Act will be held at Renwick, m order to determine whether it is the wish of the ratepayers m the Omaka District that the number of :their licensed houses shoald or should not be increased.

Tksdkrs.— We are informed by Mr J. D. Fraser that the farm property on Section 85, Wairau West, for which tenders were invited by him has been let to Mr T. Redwood.

The Nelson Races.— The Nelson Races take place on Wednesday and Thursday next. Several of our local sportsmea started for Nelson to be present this morniDg, and others leave this afternoon.

The Wither Run Contract. — The following are the tenders received for the erection of from two to three miles of wire fencing on Wither Run. Also, for packing the same on to the line : — Gosling and Register, erection and packing, £9 7s per mile (accepted) ; H. O'Leary, £9 10s ; Walker and Dawes, £11 ; J. Nicholls, £11|; Dsmond, £9 15s j Thomas S. Maddock, £11 10s.

Accident.— A man named Patrick Murphy was brought down from Havolock yesterday afternoon to the Wairau Hospital for treatment. So far as we have bean able to learn. Mr Murphy by sotno means or other shot off one of the fingers of hia right hand and seriously injured another. [Ab we nre going to press wo received the following particulars from oar own correspondent :— " On the 20th inst. a man named Murphy met witli a severe accident. He had borrowed a loaded gun, and, finding the shot to bo loose, he placed the mimli of the gun m the palm of Ins hand, holding the butt m the air, and shook the piece. The gun went off the charge lacerating his hand. He wa* ?Lra» '^^""Bh by Charles Popo to tne Blenheim Hospital."

been sc .great, during the pLtf w ™on that, it is complained, all the aervante have caught up the brogue and sl)eak in the nch Doric the SoSth or West.

Tiik Wkatiikij at ITomh. — The Home iiorri-suomlwit of a contemporary says :— " On tlie 18th of January, ISSI, occurred tho il mad fill snowstorm which seemed to bring back the winters ol old time ; but, strange to say, the same anniversary this year Uie weather was, as it has been through tho winter, as mild as spring, mid tho barometer rose to the unparalleled height of NO i) 5, nr within an ace of 31 inchc3. .Since 1525 this phenomenon has not occurred, and of course the attention of meteorologists has been much drawn to the fact."

Che.vatiom.— -There is a rumour abroad to the effect that the French Government is about to sanction cremation, and there can bo no doubt thatif such a roform takes place m France it will very possibly spread to England. As matters stand now, ( Ifirmauy aud Italy are the only countries m which cremation has made any progress while m England, though every preparation was made to carry it nut properly, tho crematory was never allowed to be used.

A Horrible Accident.— The "Manawatu Times " reports a frightful accident which happened on Saturday last, by which Mr Edward Gladstone, contractor, of Awapuni, received most serious injuries Mr Gladstone has recently accepted a tender for building a bridge over Stac's lugpon, and m the course of his operations was working at a blast, when the powder exploded, resulting m thesmashine of lu9 login two places, besides serious injnry about the head and face. Medical assistance was quickly obtained, and his wounds attended to, but the poor fellow lies m a verry critical condition. Th 9 greatest sympathy is evinced for . the sufferer, whojs a highly respectable industrious man, and has earned the goodwill and respect of all by whom he is known.

A Voracious Fish.— The conteutß of the stomach of a large king-fish, which was recently caught at the Wellington Heads, caused a good deal 'of astonishment when it was opened at the shop of Messrs Laurie and fornaudos the other day. There were three lead sinkers, — one of them being about four inches long, and weighing over a quarter of a pound— three fish-hooks, about two yards of strong fishing line, and two large tarakihi. The fact tends to show that this fish is not behind the shark iv voracity.—" N.Z. Times."